Tag: Valentine’s Day

Did you have a good weekend? I did. I’m one of those crazy people who actually enjoys Valentine’s Day. Weird, right? It’s because of my mom.

Growing up, my mom made sure that we knew that she loved us on Valentine’s Day. Every February 14th we ran down the stairs to the kitchen table almost as excitedly as we did on Christmas morning. Without fail a candy bar or tiny heart-shaped box of chocolates was a personalized gift sitting atop a bright red tablecloth at each of our places at the table. It wasn’t big, but we knew we could count on Mom being our valentine. I understand that not everyone feels loved all the time, and during holidays, it is hard to feel happy when you don’t have someone special to share it with. For us, Valentine’s Day wasn’t a romantic holiday, but just a time for my mom to reaffirm how much she cared about us.

One of my favorite Primary songs has been running through my head for the last week. “I Feel My Savior’s Love” gives me a chance to remember why Valentine’s Day has survived as a holiday.

I feel my Savior’s love

In all the world around me.

His Spirit warms my soul

Through ev’rything I see.

Chorus

He knows I will follow him,

Give all my life to him.

I feel my Savior’s love,

The love he freely gives me.

I feel my Savior’s love;

Its gentleness enfolds me,

And when I kneel to pray,

My heart is filled with peace.

I feel my Savior’s love

And know that he will bless me.

I offer him my heart;

My shepherd he will be.

I’ll share my Savior’s love

By serving others freely.

In serving I am blessed.

In giving I receive.

I know I’m crazy, but do you see what I’m getting at? Even when there aren’t any chocolates sitting on a brightly-colored tablecloth, when kind valentines expressing affection or gratitude do not await you, and when no one is physically present to say “I love you,” you can still feel our Savior’s love. It will warm your soul, enfold you in gentleness, fill your heart with peace. No matter what holiday it is, whether Christmas, Easter, or Valentine’s Day, the important thing is knowing that the Savior loves you. And like my mom, His love is freely given.

Whether you love it, despise it, are indifferent to it—it is here and we might as well live it.

Many people think of Valentine’s Day in the romantic sense. I think that’s why so many people are bitter about the hearts and the chocolate. I remember sitting in my dorm room my freshman year of college. My roommates and friends had boyfriends and were out, it was my first year away from home, and I was sitting all alone thinking, “This. Stinks.”

Planning to mope the rest of the night, I heard a knock at my door around 8pm. When I opened the door, something amazing happened. Prince Charming on his horse came riding by! Well… no. When I opened the door, there was a girl who lived next door in standing there in her pjs.

“Any plans tonight?” she asked. “No… I feel like everyone’s gone,” I replied. “Well let’s do something,” she said. “I’m tired of waiting around.” I hardly knew her, but we decided we should watch a fun movie. We knocked on the other apartment next to mine. Then the one next to theirs. Then the next one. Pretty soon, there was a whole group of us who had been thinking everyone else was out but us! We had an awesome, fun-filled night with movies, popcorn, chocolate and more. All because one person decided to look outside of themselves. She was the reason that we all had a great Valentine’s Day. And we all became great friends after that!

I have reflected back on this experience many times. It wasn’t so much that that girl was looking for some fun and needed me. It was that I was moping around and needed her. And I am so grateful that she decided to do that!

So what is Valentine’s Day really celebrating? It’s celebrating LOVE! And in my opinion, that’s worth the celebration. Whether it’s getting your friends together for a fun night out (or in), meeting your family for brunch, heart attacking your friends with nice notes, giving a stranger a nice treat—that is what it’s all about. Connecting with one another, being there for each other, and spreading the love.

So what are you going to do this Valentine’s Day to show your love? It’s not too late! After all, my entire day was made on a lonely night at 8pm.

Valentine’s Day is a great time to teach your children that real, healthy relationships don’t require a box of chocolates.Grocery stores and shopping malls alike are great at enticing people to load up on chocolate, candy, and gifts for that special someone (or yourself) on Valentine’s Day—as a chocoholic, I should know. But what’s better than taping chocolates to paper hearts is teaching your kids what real love looks like—starting in the family. And real love is a lot healthier than all that candy.

For this lovely week of love, I thought it would be best to share a special Valentine’s Day treat. Even though these raspberry-filled chocolate cupcakes with raspberry buttercream frosting take a little extra time to make, they are divine.

Cupcakes

I started by baking the cupcakes far enough ahead of time that they would cool before I filled them. You can find many different options for chocolate cupcakes online, but I am a firm believer that box cake mix tastes great. I chose to use a devil’s food cake.

Beat the first four ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar.

Putting Together the Cupcakes

To remove the centers of the cupcakes I used a cupcake plunger, but if you don’t have one of these handy tools, a large water bottle cap works too. Scoop out a space on the top of each cupcake for the filling (don’t throw the extra cake away or eat it yet). Pour in your raspberry filling using a spoon. Place a piece of the removed cupcake back on top so that you can frost the cupcakes. For my cupcakes, I put the frosting in a plastic bag, cut off a corner, and used the bag as a piping bag to get a swirly design with my frosting. I wanted my cupcakes to look extra special for Valentine’s Day, so I drizzled some of the filling on top, crumbled some of the leftover cupcake over it, and topped it with a raspberry.

In elementary school I loved Valentine’s Day. I can still remember the excitement of decorating my little brown paper lunch bag and taping it to the end of my desk. Then, all the kids would go around with their little manufactured Winnie the Pooh, Star Wars, and Disney valentines that they had bought with their moms the day before and place them in each classmate’s bag. The candy, the cards and the punny little notes on the inside were so fun, it was impossible not to like Valentine’s Day.

But lately it seems like the holiday has taken a turn for the cynical and exclusive. I think I first noticed it when I reached high school. Gone were the little notes for each person in the class and instead every period I had to watch students deliver a candy-gram valentine that was never meant for me. Roses were handed out to two or three popular girls in class while the rest of us sat and wondered if we would be so lucky the next period. I think that is when Valentine’s Day became the snarky Singles Awareness Day (or SAD) for me and probably many others.

Since then I have never really paid much attention to Valentine’s Day. Because I have never had a “significant other” to share it with, I’ve always kind of ignored it. But this year I decided I wanted to celebrate the real meaning of Valentine’s Day: love. When I look at my life I recognize how blessed I am to have so many wonderful and true friends. And this got me thinking: why can’t Valentine’s Day be about friendship and fun like it used to be in those elementary days gone by? So this year not only am I recognizing the holiday, I am celebrating it.

My roommates and I are hosting a party for all of our friends. Like any good party there will be plenty of food (themed of course, with recipes found on Pinterest) and games. But I wanted to bring back that special feeling of childhood too. So there will be a table with brown paper bags and little Valentines cards for everyone to write notes to one another in the spirit of friendship. For many, Valentine’s Day will remain a romanticized excuse for card companies to make money. But for me? Well, I hope it’s something a little more meaningful and a lot more fun as I share it with those closest to me.

Family. Defined by the dictionary as, “abasicsocial unit consisting of parents and their children,consideredas a group, whether dwelling together or not.” This definition, however, does little to reflect just what family really means to an individual. Aren’t families more than just social structures, but rather, supportive networks where individuals can feel loved and accepted?

For some, family can be interpreted according to the dictionary definition: a mother, father, sisters, and brothers. Others think of their extended family members such as grandparents and aunts as family. Others find familial relationships through friendship, companionship, or participation in particular organizations. Whatever the relation, families love each other.

Families support each other.

Families are there for each other even when things go wrong.

Families work together. Play together. Laugh together. Cry together.

Families believe in each other.

Families accept each other for who they are.

This Valentine’s Day season let us remember to express our love for those who we call family in our own lives. Whether mother, brother, boyfriend, or godmother, remember that families love and support each other. Without family, our lives would truly be so much duller indeed.

My Turn on Earth: What Does it Take to Make a Family by Carol Lynn Pearson and Lex de Azevedo